In the Wild
by luvsanime02
Summary: Bucky and Steve move into a new neighborhood, and immediately become involved in a crisis within their new community.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Marvel comics or characters or movies, and am making no money off of this fic.

**AN: **Written for the October 31st Spooktober prompt: howling at the moon.

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**In the Wild** by luvsanime02

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About twelve hours ago, Bucky was thinking that he'd rather be doing anything else but unpacking. Now, he would gladly go back to looking through box after box after box of accumulated junk from both his and Steve's lives if it meant that he wasn't here.

Here being in the woods, after dark, traipsing around like he has any damn idea what he's doing. He had known that moving to the suburbs wasn't going to be worth the extra space, but he honestly hadn't expected to find out why so soon.

Bucky doesn't stop walking, though. Behind him, Steve doesn't say anything, either. Even though they've both been out here for hours now, and they're tired and sore and stumbling around over roots and dry leaves, and who knows what else.

Ahead of them, there's a line of people walking around with lights flashing everywhere, all frantically shouting.

No, Bucky would rather be inside assembling furniture or installing their new over-the-range microwave, but he's not going to complain out loud. And he's not going to stop. Not until their search is over.

Somewhere in these woods, lost and alone and probably terrified, is a five-year-old girl. Bucky's not leaving. Steve isn't leaving/ None of the people here are leaving until they find her. It doesn't matter that they've all been searching since before noon. It doesn't matter that it's past 10 at night now.

Bucky walks forward grimly, listening to the shouts all around him and the emptiness beyond. It just figures that something like this is happening on his and Steve's first day at their new place. This is one hell of a 'welcome to the neighborhood'.

They'd barely even gotten any of the boxes inside their new house when there had been a frantic knocking on the door. Bucky had opened it to a woman breathless and near tears, demanding to know if they'd seen her little girl.

Of course, Steve had to get involved after that, and Bucky had been right there beside him. He'd expected that they'd find the girl in a couple of minutes. Half an hour, tops. And then careful questioning had led everyone to believe that she was out in the woods somewhere. And then Bucky and Steve had torn through some of their boxes - not even caring about the mess - to find warmer clothes, and then they'd followed behind everyone else as the search party began.

Bucky's feet have blisters on them. His shoes are good, but they're not hiking boots. He's dressed in long sleeves, but without a jacket on, and the late October chill in the air is slowly seeping into his bones, even with the constant walking.

A weird, eerie music suddenly starts up. The hair on the back of Bucky's neck stands straight up. He thought that shit only happens in movies. One howl. Two. And then a chorus, shrill and low, then high, changing constantly. It's haunting.

"There are damn wolves in these woods," Bucky mutters under his breath. He can't believe how close they sound. That little girl could-

"Coyotes," the woman in front of him says, not even bothering to turn around. "You don't need to worry about them. They have plenty of game to hunt in these woods, so they leave people alone."

Okay. Yes. Alright. That's good to know. It doesn't stop Bucky's eyes from constantly scanning the woods, searching for shapes in the shadows. He's never heard wolves - or coyotes, apparently - howling at the moon before. It's very different from listening to dogs. As different as hearing a kitten meow to a tiger roar, he assumes. He could never mistake that sound for anything else, now that he's heard it.

Wild. That's what they sound like, as cliche as it is to think. They sound wild. Bucky doesn't know how else to describe it. He shivers as another long, high note pierces the air. Behind him, Steve curses under his breath as another round of howls begins, and Bucky knows that he's not alone in feeling wary.

They find the girl within the hour, uninjured, and the howls have long-since stopped by then. Bucky and Steve go back to their new house and collapse on their couch because it's the only piece of furniture they'd managed to bring inside before this whole mess started, and both of them are too exhausted to set up any beds tonight.

They squish and squeeze together. Bucky has Steve's bony knees in his back, but he's beyond the point of caring. His head is propped up against the arm of the couch, and his neck is going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow. Everything hurts now. Unpacking and lifting things tomorrow is going to be pure hell.

There's a little girl who got home safe tonight, though, and the coyotes are outside where they belong. Bucky burrows down deeper into the cushions and sleeps, that shrill howling following him into his dreams.


End file.
